Friday, August 19, 2016

Life as a New Mom

As most of you know, I had my first baby May 16th - Parker Scott. He is such a sweet little boy - though I don't have other children to compare him to, a lot of people say that he is a very good baby. I love watching him learn every day and I could not imagine my life without him now - it's like he's always been a part of it. As a new mom, and one who has definitely struggled, I thought I would share some of my experiences so far and my thoughts on it.

Parker Scott - 7 lbs. 15 oz. (He's about 14 now!)

Being a mom is wonderful and so much fun! Watching Parker grow these last 3 months has been amazing. However, just as anyone has rough days, there are definitely days as a mom I have felt I haven't been doing anything right. Days I just can't seem to figure out what he needs or can't seem to get myself in check. After 3 months, I feel like I finally am getting the hang of it - but he's going to keep growing and things will keep changing. That's one thing to remember for new mom's. Your baby will constantly be changing and growing and you have to keep up and keep learning the best you can.

Parker's first smile!

Take care of yourself! Best advice I can give and I'm sure anyone will give. Nap when you need to, get outside for air, let the baby stay with someone for an hour while you do something you enjoy (working out, crafting, sleeping, or even just a nice long bath), eat your meals, etc. Do the things you did before the baby to take care of yourself. I'm one of those people that thinks I have to have it together all the time - that I need to take care of everything that needs done right this instant. I struggled to let this go at first as you just don't get things done like that with a baby. You have to work around their time. I refused to take naps and would get upset with myself if I couldn't get things done that needed done. I was mentally and physically exhausted from lack of sleep and thinking nothing I did was enough. Parker gets up pretty early most days, usually about 6 in the morning. But he generally is ready for a nap at about 8, in which case I am, too. I can get a nice one hour nap and it's enough to refresh me before I start tackling the days tasks. My days have become much easier with that instead of thinking I need to get it all done NOW.

I guess we were having too much fun. :)

Don't be afraid to ask for help or advice. You weren't meant to do this 100% alone. Your significant other, your parents, grandparents, friends, co-workers, pediatrician, whoever - ask for help! This has been done billions of times, no reason someone shouldn't be able to help you. I haven't seen my mom since Parker was 5 weeks old and he's almost 14 weeks now. And my husband has been commercial fishing this summer which means he has been on a boat most the time. So you bet I've been calling my mom several times a week. Whether I'm doing fine or I'm crying with my baby, she's one person I can count on to help me out and keep me sane. So seriously, find someone that can be there, even if it's just to listen.

His first time eating rice cereal when he hit 3 months. He wasn't too happy if I stopped feeding him.

Lastly (at least for this mom post), ENJOY IT! You have this new, amazing little blessing in your life. Have fun with them. Build a relationship with them. I've watched my nieces, nephews, and my little sister growing up and it's insane how fast it has gone for them and how much they have learned and achieved already. They are all so unique and it's so wonderful. I can't wait (well, I can, don't want him to grow too fast) to see Parker throughout the years and the kind of person he becomes. I also can't wait for more kids to see all their different personalities and how they relate to one another.

He's grown so much in such a short time.

I know there are already so many blog posts about this stuff out there but I hope this helps someone. If not, I hope you at least enjoyed reading it and seeing the baby pictures. I'll do more posts as time goes on and as he grows. Thanks for reading!